Adriamycin (Doxorubicin)

Adriamycin is the common name for the drug doxorubicin hydrochloride that is thought to bind DNA and inhibit nucleic acid synthesis. The drug has been used to successfully produce regression in disseminated neoplastic situations. Examples are acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloblastic leukemia, Wilm's tumor, soft tissue and bone sarcomas, breast carcinoma, ovarian carcinoma, and many others ailments. The dosage needs to be closely monitored because this drug can cause irreversible cardiac damage. Other side effects include hair loss, sores on the mouth and lips, and a darkening of the skin.